Last week, Blizzard announced the HD Remake of the first Starcraft game + its expansion Brood War will be released together on August 14. This comes a few months after Blizzard released the original Starcraft 1 game + its expansion FREE to download. Yes, Blizzard is giving away the original Starcraft–previously retailed at $20–absolutely FREE. All you need is a Blizzard account to download the game. If you’re thinking of getting HD Remake–selling for $15–it may be worth playing the original first.

The above designs are preorder bonuses and should look familiar to those who’ve played StarCraft II. Now, the obvious question to ask is “Why should I buy the HD Remake when Blizzard is giving away the original game?” The remake has FULL Blizzard network integration in addition to the graphical upgrade while the original game does not. That’s why. Another is it will be modder friendly just like StarCraft II. It’s the same game fans of the original remember with a fresh coat of paint and the ability to play with others or talk to friends playing a different Blizzard game.

If you never played the original, it may be worth getting. Plus, you can still play the original free of charge. I actually downloaded the original last weekend so I can point this out: The remake will use the Blizzard Desktop app but the original does not. You’ll have to keep that in mind. While it is true all of the story events in StarCraft are touched on in StarCraft II, this way you get to play them. Either way, you can’t go wrong!